The Levees Are Breaking
by astral-angel
Summary: In the midst of war, she is about to discover long hidden secrets. When her world turns upside down, Hermione finds that she may have to make a choice - her friends ... or her family? Written for the Cliche Challenge @ Granger Enchanted
1. Prologue: And So It Was

**Title:** The Levees Are Breaking  
**Characters/Pairings:** Hermione Granger, Rabastan Lestrange, Neville Longbottom, Harry Potter, Ron, Fred, George & Ginny Weasley, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black  
**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J. K. Rowling & Bloomsbury, et al. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
**Rating:** R  
**Word Count:** 1,520 words  
**Spoilers:** PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP  
**Summary:** In the midst of war, she is about to discover long hidden secrets. When her world turns upside down, Hermione finds that she may have to make a choice - her friends ... or her family?  
**Notes:** May contain spoilers for all books, but the fic starts off during 5th year and will spin AU. Written for the Cliche Challenge at Granger Enchanted

**Prologue: **And So It Was

---

**_December 31__st__, 1978_**

She thought that maybe she was a little drunk – there was a nice haze over her vision and her belly was pleasantly warm from the butterbeer she'd been drinking all night. Alice Burke stared down at the scarred surface of the bar and sighed – this wasn't how she had thought she'd be spending New Years Eve.

Alone. Miserable.

She toyed with the ring on her finger, the soft gold of the engagement ring dull in the dim lighting. They'd fought, yet again, about Frank's mother. Augusta Longbottom seemed to be unable to keep her bloody nose out of her son's love life – mother or not, Frank had better stand his ground soon, or Alice was gone.

Still, maybe she should have kept quiet until _after_ New Years.

"Fancy seeing a girl like you here in a place like this." Alice started as the husky voice slid over her skin, and spun around, her hand reaching down for her wand.

"Lestrange." Brown eyes wary, Alice watched him slide uninvited into the seat next to her. Rabastan Lestrange was tall, dark, handsome and a Death Eater. Oh, the MLE had no proof, nothing substantial, but all the Auror's knew the truth – the Lestrange brothers were right up there with Malfoy and Snape in Voldemort's inner circle.

"Alice." He smirked then, in a slow sensuous turn of lips that had Alice's stomach clenching. They'd been friends of a sort, once. In third year Arithmancy, they'd been the only non-Ravenclaw's in the class – and since the majority of the 'claws had been uppity gits, the two had formed an uneasy truce. After all, the feuding between the Gryffindor's and Slytherin's had been worst in Frank's year, the rivalry between the Marauders and Snape surpassing anything that the third years had been able to come up with.

"What do you want?" Alice blinked as his dark eyes raked over her. His gaze promised nothing, told her everything. She shivered in response, her own eyes darkening. His hand lifted slowly, sliding whisper soft over her riotous curls. Alice could feel the blood rushing through her veins to settle on her cheeks, the once steady rhythm of her heartbeat speeding to an unsteady staccato beat. Rabastan shifted closer to her, angling his head so that his lips were a mere hairsbreadth away. _You're engaged_, a part of Alice screamed when she didn't move away.

The first touch of his lips on hers silenced the hazy thought – it was like sinking into molasses, she thought. Soft, but overwhelming, the sensation drawing her in until she pulled away, gasping.

"Happy New Years, Alice."

She could only watch as he sauntered out of the bar – and then she was up and following him before her mind had caught up to her.

"Rabastan!" She caught up to him, spinning him around. They stared at each other before Alice sighed, her mind whispering a thousand apologies to Frank as she tugged his head down to meet hers.

There was nothing soft about this kiss – his arms banded around her body, crushing her torso to his as his lips slanted over hers, demanding entrance. A low moan left her lips as she curled her fingers into his long hair, his tongue taking advantage and sliding inside her mouth to rub against hers. Her head started to spin as one kiss melted into two, and then another and another until they were standing with their forehead's pressed together, breathless.

"Happy New Year." Her voice broke the silence, followed by a low chuckle, and then they were silent once more, staring at each other. Alice's eyes widened as she felt the familiar sensation of her body folding in on itself – a second later, the street was empty, the loud cracking sound that accompanied apparition fading into silence.

**_September 19__th__, 1979_**

Alice Longbottom, nee Burke, stared down at the little baby in her arms and cried. Her baby, her little baby girl – little Hermione with hair that resembled hers and eyes that really didn't. A choked sob left her lips as her eyes met Frank's. Her husband looked torn – she knew this couldn't be easy on him either, but Merlin, this was her _baby_.

"I'm sorry Alice – but you know that it has to be this way. If he ever thought – if he ever found out -" Frank cut himself off, pressing his lips together to fight the nausea. Hermione should have been his – but she wasn't, and there was nothing he could do about it now. He could keep her safe though, keep her out of this bloody war.

He pressed a kiss to Alice's forehead and carefully gathered little Hermione into his arms, whispering a soft goodbye.

**_July 31__st__, 1980_**

"It's too early, Frank, it's too early!" Alice's voice rose as she clutched the bed sheets in her hands, groaning as she rode out the contraction.

"I know sweetie," Frank whispered, running a cool washcloth over her face. "Hush, Alice, it'll all be alright."

Six hours later, watching Alice cradle Neville to her breast, Frank listened in horror as Albus Dumbledore told them of a prophecy.

_Their little boy._

Alice looked down at her son, thinking that he looked so small. He'd come too early, nearly an entire month before she was due, and she couldn't help but wish that he'd just held on a little longer, just one more month.

One more month, and there'd have been no chance of him being the boy in the prophecy. It was cowardly to wish it, she knew – but it didn't stop her.

**_November 12__th__, 1981_**

She could hear Frank screaming, his voice hoarse, over the sound of Bellatrix laughing. Alice stared into dark eyes, his face hidden behind the ghastly mask. Neville slept soundly in the cot behind her, protected from the heart wrenching sounds.

"Hello Alice."

Her heart sped into staccato, Alice closing her eyes as memories flitted through her mind. The rough calluses on his wand hand as it slid over her skin, the soft pressure of his mouth at her breast, the solid weight of him when he lay over her.

"Rabastan." She said it softly, wincing as Frank's voice filled the room once more.

"I'm sorry."

She smiled grimly, eyes filled with knowledge. "But you're going to do it anyway, aren't you."

Her body tensed as his mouth formed the words, a scream erupting from her lips as the curse tore her nerves apart. _Merlin, __pleasepleasemakeitstop__stop__, please._ Alice fell to the floor, scream after scream tearing from her mouth – and then, blessed silence. Rabastan lifted his wand, kneeling down to hold her chin his hands.

"You have to mean the curse, you know." He said it almost conversationally – Alice stared up at him, trying to make sense of his words amidst the clamouring of her shredded nerves. "The Unforgivables – any one can say the words, but you have to mean the words, and let me tell you Alice, it takes a lot of effort to hate someone that much."

She moaned in response, a blanket of pain settling over her vision. Everything _hurt_.

"I'm surprised actually – that I could actually cast it on you." He tilted his head, and ran his hand soothingly over her curls. "I didn't think I could, actually," his hand clenched into her hair, and his voice hardened. "But then again, you did take my child away from me."

Fear, like nothing she'd known overtook her. "Yo – you knew?"

He laughed, the sound chilling. "Of course I knew." She groaned as he tugged at her. "Where is she, Alice?"

"I don't know." Her lips were bleeding, she realized vaguely.

"Don't lie to me!"

"I'm not – I don't know where she is." Alice shuddered – she couldn't hear Frank anymore. "Frank took her, 'Bastan, he took Hermione away from me and wouldn't let me know."

"Hermione – that's what you called her?"

"What are you doing little brother?" Alice felt Rabastan push her away as Rodolphus walked into the room, a cruel smirk on his face.

Before she faded away in a haze of burning pain, Alice was dimly aware of Rabastan's eyes on hers.

**_June 11__th__, 1996_**

His daughter was here. Heart thudding in anticipation, Rabastan glared at Antonin Dolohov, the man currently holding his daughter up by her hair. The redheaded chit he was holding, a Weasley, no doubt, was yelling.

His daughter was quiet – he could see her shaking from here, but she didn't plead, didn't beg.

Her hair, a riotous mass of brown curls, reminded him of Alice, but it was her eyes that captivated him. They were his eyes, looking back out at him from the face of his daughter. "Hermione..." He breathed out the name quietly, sure that no one would hear him over the Weasley bint's yelling.

_His daughter._


	2. Part 01: The Shape of Things To Come

**Notes: **Er, yes, it's been ages since I've updated this. Trust me, you have_ no idea_ how many times I've written and rewritten this chapter. A huge thank you to everyone who's reviewed, and an extra special thanks to those who poked at me to get this up.  
Anything in italics is what Hermione's thinking.

**Part 01: The Shape of Things to Come**

_get away get away get away get away run run faster run run run run_

Hermione was bleeding.

_move move move faster too slow too slow move move run go_

Her face felt sticky where she could feel the blood dripping from the cut on her cheek.

_too slow too slow move go they'll find you run run run_

She'd dived into a table, possibly. Avoiding a stray hex _(not stray, he was aiming for you, dark eyes in a silver skull, laughing, laughing, i'm going to hurt you little girl, mudblood, whore)_, she'd spun around, ducked and jumped. She's good at avoiding things - she was ridiculously smart, had buck teeth and no friends. She'd had to be good at avoiding things.

_keep moving damnit where is everyone run run he's coming run think think think_

They'd scattered in the prophecy room _(there's no such thing as destiny, there's always a choice - run or stay, yes or no)_, Harry with the glowing sphere in his hand, Ginny with Neville and Luna, Ron torn between his sister and her _(run, ronald! go go go faster they're coming)_. And then the large empty room, the archway with the whispery veil and the harsh grip of fingers around her arm. Harry struggling with Malfoy and Antonin Dolohov _(who looks just as crazy as he had in the daily prophet photo, snarling and laughing, insanity in his eyes and oh god oh god merlin he's going to kill her)_ who pulled on her hair, banded his other arm around her waist.

_god where are they keep looking keep moving don't stop don't stop run_

The Order arrive, Professor Lupin and Tonks and Sirius _(alive and well, not tortured, not laughing but insanity in his eyes and she shivers because azkaban did that to him, to them)_ and she pulls away from Dolohov who has better things to think about now, running towards Luna because Neville is with Ginny and Ron is racing after Harry and _they should never have come here._

She pulls Luna up, ducks a hex and Luna moves with her, easy and graceful because Luna is ridiculously smart and had dreamy eyes and no friends. They pass Tonks, who scowls at them while trading hexes with Nott _(apples don't fall far from the tree and god, theo sits next to her in arithmancy)_ and press themselves against the wall. Hermione looks for Harry and Ron _(her heart is thump-thumping in her ears and her vision swims because she can't see them)_ and closes her fist around her wand.

"Listen, Luna, we're going to find Neville and Ginny and then you're going to get out of here, alright?" Hermione doesn't wait for an answer, instead starting towards the other end of the room where she can see Neville and Ginny crouching, wands at the ready _(maybe if you lay low, duck down, they won't see you, will look over you)_. She looks back, making sure that Luna is still with her, and her breath hitches when she sees Sirius laughing _(snarling and laughing, insanity in his eyes but he's Sirius Black and he's not going to kill her)_ as he duels with a woman. _Bellatrix Lestrange who was Black and Tonks, whose mother is Black and Malfoy, whose wife is Black and they're blackblackblack black blood and dreams and they taint what they touch_.

A Death Eater jumps into their path, his dark eyes wild beneath the mask he still has pulled over his face. He raises his wand but Hermione pushes Luna out of the way, dives down herself, adrenaline priming her muscles _(fight or flight and hermione's smart enough to know that she can't realistically take on a death eater despite all her book smarts)_ - his spell goes awry and Hermione screams impedimenta and hopes he'll stay down. They rush past him - Hermione kicks his wand away as she runs, and they slide to a stop where Ginny is clutching at her ankle _(cream and red and white oh god ginny)_. Neville sighs in relief when he sees her, the tenseness fading from his shoulders.

_did he hurt them? oh god what if they're - no, it doesn't matter, not right now, you need to keep moving_

"Are you two alright?" Hermione stays standing, her eyes flying between Ginny's prone form and the room, keeping a look out for stray hexes.

Neville nods in response to Hermione's question while he puts Ginny's arm around his shoulders, helping her up. The redhead winces in pain and Hermione shifts, biting her lip. She doesn't want to be left alone, but she can't let the others stay. "Neville, you and Luna need to get Ginny out of here. Try and head to the atrium if you can, make sure that no one sees you."

"What about you, Hermione?" Neville stiffens, a frown on his face. "We can't leave you here by yourself!"

"I need to find Harry and Ron." She shoots him a reassuring glance. "You'll be fine Neville. You were sorted into Gryffindor for a reason, remember?" Hermione watches Luna move closer to her two housemates, motions for them to go when Ginny looks like she wants to protest. She follows them to the entrance, making sure that they get out unharmed before turning back and searching for her best friends. _merlin, where are they?_ She sees Kinglsey Shacklebolt in his Auror robes, wand out and a grim look on his face.

"Er, Mr. Shacklebolt?" He whips around, his tense posture relaxing minutely as he sees her. "Harry, Ron, have you seen them?"

"They weren't with you?" He dodges a stray hex, shaking his head. "Never mind Granger, we'll find them. Get out of here."

She doesn't bother protesting, instead moving on as he starts duelling a Death Eater, one of the Lestranges, if she's not mistaken. Hermione moves to the exit, looking out cautiously. She clutches her wand _(vine wood, ten and three quarter inches with a unicorn hair - she'd lit half the place on fire the first six wands she'd tried, and then the smooth comfort of her wand washing over her)_ and hesitantly steps out into the corridor, watching the doors spin around.

"Hermione."

She stifles a shriek, spinning around. Her heart beat speeds up, blood rushing though her ears. _shit Hermione, why didn't you look behind you?_ Rabastan Lestrange looks at her, a half-smile on his face as he reaches for her arms. She stumbles backwards, fumbling with her wand. _why does he know her name? never mind that you silly girl, run_. "Stupefy!"

_get away get away get away get move hermione run_

"You don't really think that a spell like that is going to stop me, do you?" He laughs as he angles his body away, tucking his wand into the sleeve of his robe. "You can put that away."

She follows his gaze to her wand and stares at him in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

He smiles again, an odd half smile that tugs at her memory for a moment. "I'm not going to hurt you, Her-mio-ne." He drawls her name out, his rough voice catching on the syllables.

"And what, I'm just supposed to believe you?" Her hand tightens around the smooth vinewood of her wand while she clenches her other hand, trying to stop herself from shaking. _where's your gryffindor bravery gone, hermione? _She ignores the taunting voice in her head and keeps her eyes trained on the man in front of her.

"It would make things easier, but somehow I doubt you'd be that obliging. Bloody Gryffindors."

Her spine stiffens at his mocking tone. "Better than a Slytherin," she spits out before freezing. _What the hell is she doing, trading barbs with a Death Eater like he was Draco Malfoy?_

He laughs, his dark eyes lighting up with glee. "So you do have fight in you. I was half worried that you'd have ended up in _Hufflepuff_, really, after growing up with _Muggles_." He says the word like they're dirty, a look of distaste on his face, but she's too caught up in his earlier words to really notice.

"What are you talking about? Why would you care what house I was in?" Lestrange smiles and she shivers, because she hadn't thought smiles could be _cruel_.

"Do you really want to know, Hermione?" He stalks closer, his long legs eating up the space between them and she pushes herself further back in the endless corridor.

_not fast enough, didn't run fast enough, you've backed yourself into a corner and he's here here here_

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't!" _It's almost true._ "And how do you know my name?" She keeps walking backwards, freezing when she feels the smooth planes of a door behind her.

"I know more about you than you'd think, Hermione Granger." He tilts his head, an odd light coming into his eyes as he stops in front of her. "Your mother," he pauses, as if considering the word, before continuing. "Your mother was a romantic at heart - named you for the daughter of Menelaus and Helen, the only good thing to come out of years of bloodshed. 'Course, if she'd thought about how the silly bint ended up, she may have chosen differently."

"Excuse me? What makes you think you know my mother?" Hermione stiffens, the very idea sparking outrage. "And my name comes from Shakespeare, not some horrible Greek tragedy."

Lestrange looks at her, before reaching out to run his hand over her curls. She stifles a shriek as his other hand closes over her wand, preventing her from casting a spell. She shudders at the touch, both on her hair and on her wand. "Let me go!"

"I told you, Hermione, I'm not going to hurt you." He leans closer, his dark eyes boring into hers. "Tell me, Hermione, haven't you ever wondered why your parents were so accepting of your heritage? Why they let you return to Hogwarts, year after year, even after you end up in the hospital wing, even when little pretty boys die?"

"How do you know how my parents reacted? And don't talk about Cedric like that. _You have no right_." Hermione hisses at the Death Eater, struggling futilely against the strong grip of his hand around her wrist. _But they did let you come back, Hermione, even after they read the Prophet and found out about Cedric. Read what they were saying about Harry and Voldemort._ Hermione ignores the voice of reason, instead concentrating on her attempt to get away from Lestrange. "Let me go, damnit!"

_stop talking, hermione and move move move_

"I don't like repeating myself Hermione." Lestrange smirks as she glares at him, before casting a glance behind him where one of the doors had opened. "You may want to question your precious Dumbledore, Hermione." She recoils as he leans forward, brushing his lips against her forehead quickly. "I won't wait long, Hermione. If you want answers to your questions, I"m sure you'll find a way to find me."

"Hermione! Get away from her!" Hermione's struggles increase as Lestrange spins them around, his wand aimed at a black-haired Tonks and Hermione placed strategically in front of him.

"Remember what I said, love. If you want the truth, that is." Hermione tenses as he whispers the words into her ear before pushing her forward and disapparating quickly.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Tonks rushes towards her, a concerned expression on her face. "What happened?" Hermione hears the question left unasked - why hadn't he hurt her?

It was a question she'd like an answer to as well.

[x] reviews are made of win, so make my day!


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